


Vignettes - When a Brit Falls in Love with an American

by Risitas



Category: Richard Armitage - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:34:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27518440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Risitas/pseuds/Risitas
Relationships: Richard Armitage/Original Male Character
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

Richard woke up very early. 

He was tiptoeing carefully around the bedroom. He was trying to find a tshirt and a thick cardigan to wear before he had to head to the kitchen. It was his turn to make breakfast for everybody spending the holidays in the cabin.

As he neared the kitchen he spotted Cosmo and Elaine, the two Alaskan malamutes he had rescued five years ago. They were lying in their bed in front of the fireplace located in the living room. They were part of his family, his best friends and the most faithful pets he had ever had. They were instrumental in rescuing a party of four Americans lost in the Anaconda Range. One of whom later became one of the most important people in his life, the man with whom he wanted to spend the rest of his days.

As he was kneading the dough that he would turn into cinnamon babka, he noticed a small silhouette crawling towards the dogs. He had noticed that his new niece (not that he used that term out loud) had a penchant for waking up early and curling up next to his dogs. She would talk to them and tell them stories. They, in turn, would shower her with puppy kisses for her efforts.

'Good morning, Grace.'

'Good morning.' She lisped.

'Did you sleep well?'

'I had a bad dream,' she pouted as she began petting Cosmo and he, in turn, began wagging his tail.

'I am sorry to hear that. Nightmares can be quite scary. Do you want some hot chocolate?' he offered. 'It might cheer you up.'

'What causes bad dreams?' She asked Richard as he set the dough aside so it could proof and took a couple of chocolate bars out of one of the cupboards.

'I wish I knew.'

'Do adults have bad dreams?'

'All the time.'

'I sometimes have bad dreams about our neighbor's cats. Sometimes I have bad dreams about something I watched on TV.' She sat up in the dogs' bed. 'What causes nightmares in old people?'

'All sorts of things.' Richard answered, amused she had used the word 'old' to describe him. 'Sometimes I have bad dreams about work. Sometimes I have bad dreams after I've had bad news.'

'What do you do when you have bad dreams?'

'I sometimes know I am in the middle of a bad dream and know that it is going to come to an end,' he tried to explain. 'I sometimes don't know I am in the middle of a dream and wake up startled. Then I check on Maximillian, go to the restroom and wash my face in the sink, and then I check that everything is in order around the house.'

'Why do you check on uncle Max?'

'I need to know he is lying next to me, safe and unharmed.'

'You and my uncle live together, right?' She pondered and after a few seconds she continued. 'Are you my uncle?'

This question startled him. He and Max had began dating a couple of weeks after he found them looking for shelter during a snowstorm. The relationship had gotten very serious and they ended up moving together, but they never talked about what Max's young niece would call him or what Richard's young nephews would call Max.

'How about some hot chocolate?' He tried to steer the conversation to a different topic.

'If uncle Max is my uncle and you are his boyfriend, you are my uncle, right?'

He did not know what to say, he did not want to get in trouble with Trevor, Grace's dad.

'You can call Richard uncle if you want to.' Richard sighed with relief. He was fumbling with an answer and had not noticed that his 6'3'' boyfriend had entered the living room and was listening to their conversation. 'Now, go brush your teeth before breakfast is ready.'

'Are you sure Trevor is okay with Grace calling me uncle?' Richard whispered to Max when the latter got close enough to Richard that Grace would not be able to hear their conversation.

'Dont fret. Trevor won't mind one bit.' Max assured Richard and pecked him on the lips. 'Phillip, on the other hand...'

Max smiled wickedly and pinched Richard's left buttock.

Richard had forgotten that Trevor's husband was much more likely to tease him mercilessly


	2. Richard and Max

It was snowing quite profusely. 

A blanket of snow stretched as far as the eye could see.

Elaine and Cosmo were restless. It was clear they wanted to go out and explore the area, despite the fact Richard had brought them to the cabin every winter since he rescued them and they knew the surroundings in a way no human ever could.

He smiled fondly at them when they began whining. They clearly wanted to get out of the cabin to see what new delights the snow flury would bring.

‘There is no way I’m going to let you out of the house.’

Both dogs whined some more.

‘When the snow lets up a bit, you can go out. I promise.’ Chuckled Richard.

Both dogs whined some more and began scratching the section of the floor closest to the door.

‘You are not going to find anything interesting in this storm. Most animals are already holed up or looking for shelter.’ 

Their incessant whining and panting drew Max's attention. Max's mom, Rachel, and Richard's sister-in-law, Vivian, also walked into the kitchen wondering what was causing Cosmo and Elaine to behave that way.

‘What’s wrong with Cosmo and Elaine?’ Vivian asked Richard once she was near the kitchen door.

‘If I did not know any better, I’d say they need to go potty.’ Max and Richard took both dogs out a little over an hour ago so they could do their business. 

‘I don’t know why they are so restless.’ Richard answered while he and Vivian tried to distract each dog. ‘Last time they were this fidgety, you were out there in a similar storm whistling and trying to find help.’

Richard looked directly at Max. He still could not believe Max, his niece Grace, his younger brother George, and his brother-in-law had survived the frigid temperature.

Max recalled that day as if it had been yesterday. He would always be thankful to Cosmo and Elaine for their keen senses and for helping Richard find his way to their party. Just as he would always be thankful to the universe for bringing Richard and him together.

Max felt the urgent need to run his fingers through Richard’s hair to communicate to him how much he loved him. He knew neither Richard nor his mom would mind a bit of PDA.

‘Do you think somebody could be out there looking for help?’ Richard asked as he leaned into Max’s touch.

‘The radio is working and we have kept abreast of the latest reports issued by park rangers.’ Max’s mom volunteered. ‘They would have informed us about lost travelers.’

When Max and his family had gotten lost, they tried to get in touch with the park rangers. The snowstorm was so heavy that the radio communication system had been compromised and they were unable to call for help. Fortunately, local authorities updated the system not long after their ordeal and they had built a few additional park ranger stations to cover areas in need of such an important service.

‘I hope you’re right.’ Added Richard while playfully tussling with Cosmo.

Max took over for Richard's sister-in-law, who headed to the kitchen to help Max's mom to fix dinner for both families, and was now trying to play tug of war with Elaine.

‘I think if I were to put a leash on Cosmo and go out for a quick turn, he might see for himself there is nothing amiss.’ Richard told Max in a quiet voice.

‘What about Elaine?’ Countered Max. ‘You can’t take him and then come back for her.’

‘You’re right.’ Richard agreed. ‘And…the idea of taking both of them out at the same time during this storm is not appealing.’

‘Richard…’ Max let Elaine gain control of the rope toy and made Richard stop playing with Cosmo. ‘I don’t want you out there during this storm. We both know how unpredictable they are.’ 

He took Richard’s face in both hands.

‘There is no reason to believe there is somebody out there.’ Max continued. ‘And if you were to remain within sight, you would be of no help to anybody in need of assistance.’

Richard nodded reluctantly.

‘We’ll get in touch with the closest Park Ranger station, which is what we should have done in the first place, and we’ll take it from there. ’

Richard knew he was prone to worrying and he was well aware that this character trait drove Max mad. 

‘You’re right, of course.’ Richard conceded. ‘That would have been the reasonable thing to do.’

Max smiled. Richard never failed to take his opinion into account whenever he was trying to make an important decision. It did not matter whether or not the decision had a direct impact on Max or on their relationship. It was one of things he loved most about Richard.

‘Good!’ Max exclaimed. ‘I don’t want us to risk life and limb unless we absolutely have to.’

‘We’ll cross that bridge if and when we get there.’ Richard offered. ‘As you said, the dogs might just be in need of stimulation and I might be overreacting.’

‘I’m glad we understand each other.’ Max agreed with a grin, pecked Richard on the lips and headed to the stairs that led to the lower floor where the two master rooms were located. 

-A while later-

As it turned out, the dogs were overstimulated. There were many more people in the cabin than they were used to: Max’s four brothers, his mom, and Grace; and Richard’s brother, sister-in-law, and three nephews. A cacophony of voices and noise and smells was enough to make them agitated. Cosmo and Elaine were very friendly to everyone they met, but there were too many people in the cabin and the dogs were not used to being around four very energetic young children.

Richard rather hoped that a few turns around the cabin or a bit of play in the snow would sort them out. Fortunately, the storm had abated, but it had not stopped snowing. With that in mind he left the cabin’s main living area, with th dogs in tow, and went to his room to let Max know he was going to take the dogs out.

‘Max?’ Richard called as he opened the door to their room. ‘I’m going to take the dogs out for a while, I think a bit of frolicking in the snow might calm them down.’

Max was sitting on their bed reading. He let a laugh at Richard’s choice of words.

‘Frolicking?’ Max raised his right eyebrow.

‘You know what I meant.’

‘A bit of frolicking?’ Max repeated amused as he stood up, petted the dogs, and ambled to the walk-in closet where Richard was collecting his boots. ‘That sounds lewd.’

‘Stop it.’ Richard laughed. ‘I am hoping that letting them outside for a bit and allowing them to play fight with each other might wear them out a bit.’

‘You’re going to stay near the cabin, I hope.’ Max said as he helped Richard put on a heavy coat.

‘We’ll stay within sight of the house.’ Richard buttoned his coat. 

‘I hope so, it is getting dark.’ Max answered as he handed Richard a beanie. He looked a bit worried.

‘We will stay a few yards away from the cabin, I promise love.’ Richard placed his right hand around Max’s neck and kissed him softly. 

‘I’ll hold you to that.’ Max pecked Richard's lips a few times. ‘As I have just realised I am in need of a bit of frolicking.’

Richard ran his fingers through Max’s long blond hair, which elicited a moan from the younger man.

‘I would by no means suspend any pleasure of yours.’


End file.
